Proposition 14: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?

by Evan Stone

If you’ve been hearing any of the radio ads in favor of Proposition 14 lately, you may have come to the conclusion that this one is a no-brainer.  The proponents of the initiative pitch the law as one which will cut costs and ultimately give us more moderate elected officials in Sacramento and Washington.  On the surface, who wouldn’t want that?

This is where you have to look under the covers to see what’s really going on.  This initiative would in fact, do just the opposite of what it says it would do.  They say that the major political parties would have less of a stranglehold on politics in California if this passes.  But, that’s not been the case in the two states that already have similar laws in place.

Both Louisiana and Washington have passed the “Top Two Law”, where all candidates run in a single primary without party affiliation, and the top two vote getters in the primary then face off in the general election.  In Louisiana, this has lead to more control of their legislature by the major parties, primarily the Democrats.  In California, where Democrats outnumber Republicans two to one, it wouldn’t be unlikely in a statewide race for two Democrats to be on the ballot in November with no other party represented.  The law also bans write-in candidates in the general election, so you wouldn’t even have that option.

In Congressional races, it’s likely that Los Angeles and the Bay Area would end up choosing between two Democrats, while the Central Valley and north state would be picking between two Republicans. And those of you who affiliate with the smaller third parties, you’re just plain out-of-luck.

There’s nothing about this initiative that will benefit voters, and I urge you to vote no on Proposition 14.

Originally posted at restoreconservatism,blogspot.com by Evan Stone.  The opinions expressed in the above article are those of Evan Stone, and not necessarily those of Conservative New Media.  Evan Stone is not paid by any political campaign or by Conservative New Media, and provides the above article as a guest contributor to Conservative New Media.

Tags: California Proposition 14